North Bay Minor Hockey remembers Jim Lecappelain
Author of the article: Jennifer Hamilton-McCharles
The North Bay hockey community is grieving the loss of a 29-year volunteer who loved the sport and the people in it.
Jim Lecappelain died Thursday. He was 70.
“I have known Jim for more than 30 years. Jim was one of the most amazing hockey volunteers I have ever have known, his dedication to minor hockey is unprecedented in North Bay,” said North Bay Minor Hockey president Darrell Pitman.
“If you ever needed something done or just advice, Jim was the man to get it from. I consider him a true friend,” he told The Nugget.
“Jim was a big part of my hockey family. I will truly miss him.”
Lecappelain joined North Bay Minor Hockey, formerly known as West Ferris Minor Hockey, back in 1995 when his oldest son joined the game.
“If I think back to 1995 the person that convinced me to get involved is today’s president Darrell Pitman. I had known Darryl and his son was basically the same age as my son. I have to say thanks. He was the first and there’s been hundreds a long the way,” Lecappelain stated in a video taken by the Northern Ontario Hockey Association following his recognition as the 2024 winner of the Angus Campbell Merit Award.
If you ever needed to find Lecappelain during the hockey season he was at a rink, in the tournament office or at a Nipissing District Hockey League meeting.
He dedicated a huge amount of his free time to the sport while his three sons played the game and even after they aged out.
“I have a love for the game,” Lecappelain said in the NOHA video. “I love the game, that was the drawing card. But it’s also working with people. I enjoy being with people. I enjoy the camaraderie and that’s one thing the sport brings, it’s working with people and that is fun,” he stated during the interview with NOHA.
“Every year I meet new people. I’ve had three sons go through minor hockey and I love the sport so much even though they’re finished I decided I wanted to stay. If I could just help out a little bit bringing organized hockey to the kids of this area and have fun doing it and meet great people then that’s what was the drawing card.”
Lecappelain has served various roles including vice president and vice commissioner of the NDHL.
While in this role, he spent countless hours singlehandedly procuring, organizing and distributing the hundreds of medals awarded annually to U7 players through to U18, according to the NOHA.
“In 2018, with the dawn of the Hockey Canada U9 program as subsequently implemented by the Ontario Hockey Federation and so the NOHA, Jim led a small committee in the development of a unique U9 program incorporating a skills development zone in conjunction with a modified game play zone. This U9 program was subsequently adopted and implemented across three of the current NDHL divisions and remains in effect today.”

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